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Hunchback of Notre Dame (Canon Tale)
Perhaps best known by the 1996 Disney movie adaptation, the Hunchback of Notre Dame is a novel by French writer Victor Hugo. One important theme discussed in most adaptations of the work is the inability to judge an individual by their appearance and we have chosen to make that an important aspect of our adaptation as well. The most notable difference between the source material is how we chose to portray the Hunchback. Though her physical deformity was corrected, Zeda suffers a great deal of physical pain. The Temple of the Forebearer and the Zaberi palace serve as the temple of Notre Dame. Frollo is still adamantly biased and cruel toward the Court of Miracles and Esmeralda is still the object of his obsession, though we have merged the tale with elements of 1,001 Arabian Nights, the Tale of King Midas, and the legend of El Dorado to give the Court of Miracles a rich back-story. The Tale According to their most sacred tradition, the Court of Miracles trace their ancestry back to the ancient Court of King Midas, who's daughter led her people and evaded enemy slaughter. After being crowned the Court's matriarch and ruler, the first Esmeralda passed more than just her title down to her daughter. Though the trinket appeared unremarkable and even broken, the Court believes the golden scarab to be only one half of a key that will open an ancient vault lost since the days of Midas. The Royal Grand Vizier of Solhara, Jafar -- known to the members of the Court of Miracles unaffectionately as "Frollo," traced the scarab's location and commissioned a group of sellswords to retrieve the trinket for him. The soldiers slaughtered many, including the reigning Esmeralda and her husband, though their young daughter and her cousin, Clopin, survived. Five years after the assault on her people, Esmeralda snuck into the judge's quarters and convinced him to lay with her in order to steal the scarab back. Though she retrieved her lost family heirloom, Esmeralda soon found herself pregnant and gave birth to a horribly deformed baby girl. The child was taken from her immediately afterward in order to protect her from the Judge's soldiers. While Phoebus escorted Esmeralda out of Zabier, Clopin's wife took the baby and headed for the Temple of the Forebearer seeking sanctuary for herself and the infant, but was accosted outside the temple. The Judge intended to drown the child, but when confronted by his guilt and his fear of inciting the God's wrath, was convinced to spare the child her and instead raise her. He did not reveal that the child was actually biologically his own to the Sultan, and employing his knowledge of surgery and dark sorcery to physically correct the child's deformity, Jafar instead left her with a sizable scar and a considerable amount of lasting chronic pain. Nevertheless, he offered her an unrivaled education, but did not permit her to leave the confines of the palace. Meanwhile, tensions within the Court have never been higher as some insist it is time to return to the Hyadies. Many, including Gringoire, disagree with Esmeralda's insistence that they cooperate with the Sultan and abide by his law, a man they consider to be their enemy. Some still blame the woman for allowing their heir to fall into Frollo's hands, and others criticize the matriarch for marrying an outsider and believe they would all benefit from a shift in leadership. With the Blight rapidly burning through the other kingdoms and threatening to breach Solhara's boarders, the Court desperately requires unification before full out war breaks out. Characters * Judge Frollo - '''Entranced with the Tale of the Djinn since boyhood, the Royal Grand Vizier of Solhara, Jafar Amjad is obsessed with locating the lamp of legend. * '''The Hunchback - '''Though her physical deformity was corrected in her infancy, Scheherazade Amjad still suffers a great deal of residual pain as a result. She is engaged to the Sultan of Solhara. * '''Esmeralda - '''Known among her people as a Queen, Esmeralda Nudara has returned to Zabier to reunite with her daughter, Scheherazade. * '''Lady Hugo - '''After her entire family was lost to the Blight, Lady Hugo was stranded in Zabier. She is one of Scheherazade's handmaids. * '''Lady Victor - '''After her older brother was taken as a slave to the Solharan silver mines, Lady Verne was educated in his place. She is one of Scheherazade's handmaids. * '''Lady Verne - '''Believing her brother, Rhadi El-Amin, to be dead, Lady Verne sought refuge with the Court of Miracles. She is one of Scheherazade's handmaids. * '''Phoebus - '''Though he shortly served of Captain of the Guard of Zabier, Phoebus now lives among the Court of Miracles. He has five children with Esmeralda Nudara. * '''Fleur de Lys - '''Briefly engaged to Phoebus in her girlhood, Fleur de Lys' whereabouts are unknown. * '''Gringoire - '''Once intended to marry Esmeralda Nudara, Gringoire rejected her when she laid with another man to steal back her family's half-scarab. * '''Clopin - '''Clopin is a cousin of Esmeralda Nudara's. His parents and wife were killed by Jafar Amjad in two separate events. * '''Djali - '''Djali is the oldest child of Esmeralda and Phoebus. Plotlines * Esmeralda recently approached Scheherazade, claiming to be a former friend of Scheherazade's mother. Though Scheherazade did not initially trust her, she listened to the woman in favor of returning back to the palace and her father. Related Stories * ''Aladdin - ''Rhadi El-Amin (Carpet) is a former Vizier under Jafar/Frollo, the brother of Lady Verne, and the former lover of Scheherazade. * ''Arabian Nights - ''Jafar/Frollo is the father of Scheherazade. Scheherazade is engaged to the Sultan. * ''The Frog Prince - ''Jafar/Frollo found a man-turned-frog he recognized to be the Prince of Xehacora and brought him back to the Sultan of Solhara. * ''Pocahontas - '''''Phoebus and Fleur de Lys are the parents of John Smith.